Snares & Scares | GorillaDoctors.wildlifedirect.org
source: http://gorilladoctors.wildlifedirect.org/2008/09/22/snares-and-scares/#comment-691
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Dr. Lucy Spelman, the regional veterinary field manager for MGVP, a team of eight vets and support staff who work throughout the range of the Mountain Gorilla in UG, DR Congo, and RW.
Category: Monitoring Visits | Date: Sep 22 2008 | By: Dr. Lucy for gorilladoctors
Guhonda, the silverback in Sabinyo Group, has removed snares more than a few times from the arms and legs of his family members.
"I’d nearly finished my routine health check in Pablo Group when my cell phone buzzed in my pocket, making me jump. It was Jean Felix. We usually text each other in order not to disturb the gorillas, so I knew right away there must be a problem. We did indeed have an emergency. One of the infant gorillas in Sabinyo Group was caught in a snare, and the silverback, Guhonda, had bitten one of the trackers. We made a quick plan: Jean Felix and Elisabeth would try to check on the infant, knowing they might not be able to get very close; I would rush back to the office to grab my kit, and then check on the injured tracker.
I thought through possible next steps and outcomes as we hiked down out of the forest. Either Guhonda was already in a rage, or the tracker tried to take the snare off and the silverback saw him. There was a good chance no one would even see the Sabinyo gorillas for the rest of the day. Often our first opportunity to remove a snare is not until the next morning, once the group has calmed down. Even then we may decide not to intervene if we think the gorilla or one of its family members can get the snare off."
See photos & the rest of this post by Dr Lucy along with more information on how you can help these gentle giants, please visit: http://gorilladoctors.wildlifedirect.org/2008/09/22/snares-and-scares/#comment-6...
Category: Monitoring Visits | Date: Sep 22 2008 | By: Dr. Lucy for gorilladoctors
Guhonda, the silverback in Sabinyo Group, has removed snares more than a few times from the arms and legs of his family members.
"I’d nearly finished my routine health check in Pablo Group when my cell phone buzzed in my pocket, making me jump. It was Jean Felix. We usually text each other in order not to disturb the gorillas, so I knew right away there must be a problem. We did indeed have an emergency. One of the infant gorillas in Sabinyo Group was caught in a snare, and the silverback, Guhonda, had bitten one of the trackers. We made a quick plan: Jean Felix and Elisabeth would try to check on the infant, knowing they might not be able to get very close; I would rush back to the office to grab my kit, and then check on the injured tracker.
I thought through possible next steps and outcomes as we hiked down out of the forest. Either Guhonda was already in a rage, or the tracker tried to take the snare off and the silverback saw him. There was a good chance no one would even see the Sabinyo gorillas for the rest of the day. Often our first opportunity to remove a snare is not until the next morning, once the group has calmed down. Even then we may decide not to intervene if we think the gorilla or one of its family members can get the snare off."
See photos & the rest of this post by Dr Lucy along with more information on how you can help these gentle giants, please visit: http://gorilladoctors.wildlifedirect.org/2008/09/22/snares-and-scares/#comment-6...
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